Plankton Community Research Articles

Analysis of stability and bifurcation and design of optimal control for phytoplankton–zooplankton–fish model with additional food and fish harvesting

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the dynamics of a four-dimensional plankton-fish system that contains three communities of plankton: non-toxic phytoplankton, toxic-producing phytoplankton, and zooplankton. The zooplankton consumes both non-toxic and toxic-producing phytoplankton. First, the positivity and boundedness of the solutions in the plankton-fish model are evaluated. Then, we derive the conditions for the existence of ecologically possible equilibria and their local and global asymptotic nature. Furthermore, we evaluate the criteria for the existence of Hopf-bifurcation and transcritical bifurcation. By applying Pontryagin’s maximum principle, we investigate the optimal control of fish harvesting, where fishing effort is taken as a control parameter. By using phase-space diagrams, time responses, bifurcation diagrams, and numerical analyses validate the theoretical results. The numerical results including maximum Lyapunov exponent verify chaotic dynamics of the system. We notice that a suitable choice of harvesting, phytoplankton growth rate, and additional food parameters can control the chaotic behavior of the presented model. The proposed novel mathematical model gives deeper insights to theoretical ecologists on how toxic-producing phytoplankton affects zooplankton and fish populations in aquatic systems. Furthermore, the proposed model is more appropriate for fish harvesting to maximize profit as well as species conversion in the presence of toxic phytoplankton.

Antarctic lake viromes reveal potential virus associated influences on nutrient cycling in ice-covered lakes.

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) of Antarctica are a mosaic of extreme habitats which are dominated by microbial life. The MDVs include glacial melt holes, streams, lakes, and soils, which are interconnected through the transfer of energy and flux of inorganic and organic material via wind and hydrology. For the first time, we provide new data on the viral community structure and function in the MDVs through metagenomics of the planktonic and benthic mat communities of Lakes Bonney and Fryxell. Viral taxonomic diversity was compared across lakes and ecological function was investigated by characterizing auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) and predicting viral hosts. Our data suggest that viral communities differed between the lakes and among sites: these differences were connected to microbial host communities. AMGs were associated with the potential augmentation of multiple biogeochemical processes in host, most notably with phosphorus acquisition, organic nitrogen acquisition, sulfur oxidation, and photosynthesis. Viral genome abundances containing AMGs differed between the lakes and microbial mats, indicating site specialization. Using procrustes analysis, we also identified significant coupling between viral and bacterial communities (p = 0.001). Finally, host predictions indicate viral host preference among the assembled viromes. Collectively, our data show that: (i) viruses are uniquely distributed through the McMurdo Dry Valley lakes, (ii) their AMGs can contribute to overcoming host nutrient limitation and, (iii) viral and bacterial MDV communities are tightly coupled.

Plankton and contour algal communities in the Ukrainian section of the Western Bug River and its tributaries

The paper deals with spatial dynamics of cell count, biomass, dominant species complexes, information diversity of planktonic and contour algal communities in the Western Bug River and its tributaries. The trophic state and water quality of the rivers under study have been assessed. The spatial heterogeneity of phytoplankton, microphytobenthos and phytoperiphyton brought about high cell count and biomass values during the low-water summer-autumn season. The cell count and biomass have been shown to increase from the upper reaches downstream, correlating with the river bed width. High quantitative diversity of algal communities was due to Bacillariophyta dominance. Cyanobacteria and Chlorophyta were recorded as subdominants. The trophic state of the aquatic ecosystems under study varied between oligotrophic and eutrophic. The Shannon’s index made up 1.58–4.62 bit/cell and 1.60–4.40 bit/mg. The trophic state and information diversity assessed according to contour algal communities were higher than according to phytoplankton. This is indicative of the clear water regime forming in the rivers under study during the low-water summer-autumn season. The obtained findings differ from the data, published earlier for the Kaniv Water Reservoir, where the primary role belonged to phytoplankton. The spatial heterogeneity of algal communities is related to the dominant complexes structure. As a rule, these are monodominant Bacillariophyta complexes or oligodominant Bacillariophyta – Cyanobacteria or Bacillariophyta – Chlorophyta complexes. The water quality assessment according to the abiotic variables and saprobiologic characteristics has shown that the modal classes of water quality are the 2nd–3rd classes (clean waters – satisfactory clean waters). Therefore, the water quality of the Ukrainian section of the Western Bug River and its tributaries does not pose any substantial hazard to the adjacent European countries.

Characterization of the Ecological Niche and Interspecific Connectivity of Plankton in Baiyangdian Lake by Combining Ecological Networks

To understand the structure of the plankton community and the ecological niche characteristics of their dominant species, sampling surveys of plankton were conducted in Baiyangdian Lake in the spring （March）, summer （July）, and autumn （September） of 2022. The changes in the plankton community during the three seasons were analyzed by constructing ecological network diagrams, non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis （NMDS）, and the ecological niche width. The niche overlap of zooplankton dominant species was evaluated by the improved Levins' formula and Petraitis' index. The interspecific connectivity of dominant species was judged using the chi-square test and interspecies connectivity coefficients. The results showed that the niche width of plankton in the whole area was low. Zooplankton was dominated by rotifers, and phytoplankton was dominated by diatoms, cyanobacteria, and green algae. There were significant seasonal changes in the community structures of plankton. Compared with that in summer and autumn, there were fewer species of plankton in spring and lower interspecies connectivity. The overlap of dominant species of zooplankton was high in summer, and the interspecific competition was intensified, whereas the interspecific overlap of phytoplankton was at a low level in all three seasons. There was a significant positive correlation （W > χ20.05） between phytoplankton in summer and autumn, and the community structure was stable. The interdomain ecological network of zooplankton and phytoplankton showed a high negative correlation ratio in autumn, especially between copepods and cladoceras of zooplankton and chlorophyta and cyanophyta of phytoplankton. The plankton species in Baiyangdian Lake were abundant, with obvious seasonal differences. The dominant species were mainly a narrow ecological niche. The plankton community was generally in a stable state, and there was a strong predation relationship between copepods and cladoceras and green algae and cyanobacteria.

Supervised machine learning for understanding and predicting the status of bistable eukaryotic plankton community in urbanized rivers

Understanding and predicting the ecological status of urbanized rivers is crucial for their restoration and management. However, the complex and nonlinear nature of ecological responses poses a challenge to the development of predictive models. Here, the study investigated and predicted the status of eukaryotic plankton communities in urbanized rivers by coupling environmental DNA metabarcoding, the alternative stable states theory, and supervised machine learning (SML) models. The results revealed two distinct states of eukaryotic plankton communities under similar environmental conditions: one state was characterized by the enrichment of a diverse phytoplankton population and the high relative abundance of protozoa, whereas the alternative state was characterized by abundant phytoplankton and fungi with an associated risk of algal blooms. Turbidity was identified as a key driver based on the SML model and Mantel test. Potential analysis demonstrated that the response pattern of eukaryotic plankton communities to turbidity was thresholds with hysteresis (Threshold1 = 17 NTU, Threshold2 = 24 NTU). A reduction in turbidity induced a regime shift in the eukaryotic plankton community toward an alternative state associated with a risk of algal blooms. In the prediction of ecological status, both SML models showed excellent performance (R2 > 0.80, RMSE < 0.1, Kappa > 0.70). Additionally, SHapley Additive exPlanations analysis identified turbidity, chlorophyll-a, chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen and green algae's amplicon sequence variants as crucial features for prediction, with turbidity and COD showing a synergistic effect on ecological status. A framework was further proposed to enhance the understanding and prediction of ecological status in urbanized rivers. The obtained results of this study demonstrated the feasibility of using SML models to predict and explain the ecological status of urbanized rivers with alternative stable states. This provides valuable insights for the application of SML models in the restoration and management of urbanized rivers.

Drivers of microbial carbon biomass variability in two oceanic regions of the Gulf of Mexico

The microbial plankton community is an integral part of the pelagic ecosystem. It hosts essential functional groups that play a vital role in organic carbon production, release, uptake, and degradation within open-ocean ecosystems. Given its significance, carbon biomass estimates are urgently needed, especially in oligotrophic regions, to provide and enhance our knowledge of biogenic carbon pools. They also aid in validating biogeochemical models that characterize the functioning of these extensive marine ecosystems within the global carbon cycle. This study addresses the temporal variability of microbial community biomass in two oceanic zones: the west-central (Perdido) and southern (Coatzacoalcos) areas of the Gulf of Mexico. During three seasonally contrasting periods (nortes, rainy, and dry seasons), seawater samples were collected from the euphotic zone in both regions to estimate the carbon biomass of different pico- (<2–3 µm), nano-, and microplankton groups (>3–200 µm). Carbon biomass assessments for the microbial groups were based on their abundance and carbon conversion factors. Overall, we found a significant contribution of pico-prokaryotic components (heterotrophic bacteria, Prochloroccocus, and Synechoccocus) to the total microbial carbon stock of the euphotic zone (84–89 % global estimates). The finding suggests these microorganisms are key functional groups that drive carbon production and fate in the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Pico-cyanobacteria, especially Prochloroccocus, were the dominant primary producers (68–82 % total autotrophic carbon), mainly in the upper layer of the oligotrophic euphotic zone. This vertical pattern implies that the deep chlorophyll-a maximum (DCM) depth level was unrelated to a net increase in phytoplankton biomass in the three study periods. The distribution of microbial carbon biomass exhibited striking differences associated with winter mixing (the nortes season), high river discharge accompanied by cross-shelf transport (the rainy season), and the dynamics of mesoscale structures. Ecological aspects, such as the habitat preference of the organisms and the seasonal complementary development of mixotrophic and heterotrophic grazers and their prey, were also essential drivers in regulating the microbial carbon pool of both oceanic regions. The microbial carbon assessments conducted in this study contribute to identifying and quantifying key planktonic functional groups involved in the biogeochemical carbon cycle in the Gulf of Mexico open-ocean ecosystem.

Global distribution, diversity, and ecological niche of Picozoa, a widespread and enigmatic marine protist lineage

BackgroundThe backbone of the eukaryotic tree of life contains taxa only found in molecular surveys, of which we still have a limited understanding. Such is the case of Picozoa, an enigmatic lineage of heterotrophic picoeukaryotes within the supergroup Archaeplastida, which has emerged as a significant component of marine microbial planktonic communities. To enhance our understanding of the diversity, distribution, and ecology of Picozoa, we conduct a comprehensive assessment at different levels, from assemblages to taxa, employing phylogenetic analysis, species distribution modeling, and ecological niche characterization.ResultsPicozoa was among the ten most abundant eukaryotic groups, found almost exclusively in marine environments. The phylum was represented by 179 Picozoa’s OTU (pOTUs) placed in five phylogenetic clades. Picozoa community structure had a clear latitudinal pattern, with polar assemblages tending to cluster separately from non-polar ones. Based on the abundance and occupancy pattern, the pOTUs were classified into four categories: Low-abundant, Widespread, Polar, and Non-polar. We calculated the ecological niche of each of these categories. Notably, pOTUs sharing similar ecological niches were not closely related species, indicating a phylogenetic overdispersion in Picozoa communities. This could be attributed to competitive exclusion and the strong influence of the seasonal amplitude of variations in environmental factors, such as temperature, shaping physiological and ecological traits.ConclusionsOverall, this work advances our understanding of uncharted protists’ evolutionary dynamics and ecological strategies. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the species-level ecology of marine heteroflagellates like Picozoa. The observed phylogenetic overdispersion challenges the concept of phylogenetic niche conservatism in protist communities, suggesting that closely related species do not necessarily share similar ecological niches.9DjsWS8J_yUMTxizMfQ8tyVideo

Environmental DNA metabarcoding reveals the influence of environmental heterogeneity on microeukaryotic plankton in the offshore waters of East China Sea

Microeukaryotic plankton are essential to marine food webs and biogeochemical cycles, with coastal seas playing a critical role in aquatic ecosystems. Understanding the diversity of microeukaryotic plankton, deciphering their community structure and succession patterns, and identifying the key factors influencing these dynamics remain central challenges in coastal ecology. In this study, we examine patterns of biodiversity, community structure, and co-occurrence using environmental DNA (eDNA)-based methods. Our results show a linear correlation between α-diversity and distance from the shore, with nutrient-related factors, especially inorganic nitrogen, being the primary determinants of the spatial distribution of plankton communities. Alternation of coastal habitat have shifted the succession patterns of coastal eukaryotic plankton communities from stochastic to deterministic processes. Additionally, our observations indicate that the topology and structure of eukaryotic plankton symbiotic patterns and networks are significantly influenced by environmental heterogeneity such as nutrients, which increase the vulnerability and decrease the stability of offshore ecological networks. Overall, our study demonstrates that the distribution of microeukaryotic plankton communities is influenced by factors related to environmental heterogeneity.

Flourishing in Darkness: Protist Communities of Water Sites in Shulgan-Tash Cave (Southern Urals, Russia)

Karst caves, formed by the erosion of soluble carbonate rocks, provide unique ecosystems characterized by stable temperatures and high humidity. These conditions support diverse microbial communities, including wall microbial fouling, aquatic biofilms, and planktonic communities. This study discloses the taxonomic diversity of protists in aquatic biotopes of Shulgan-Tash Cave, a culturally significant site and popular tourist destination, by 18S rRNA gene metabarcoding. Our findings reveal the rich protist communities in the cave’s aquatic biotopes, with the highest diversity observed in Blue Lake at the cave entrance. In contrast, Distant Lake in the depth of the cave was inhabited by specific communities of plankton, mats, and pool fingers, which exhibited lower richness and evenness, and were adapted to extreme conditions (cold, darkness, and limited nutrients). High-rank taxa including Opisthokonta, Stramenopiles, and Rhizaria dominated all biotopes, aligning with observations from other subterranean environments. Specific communities of biotopes inside the cave featured distinct dominant taxa: amoeboid stramenopile (Synchromophyceae) and flagellates (Choanoflagellatea and Sandona) in mats; flagellates (Choanoflagellatea, Bicoecaceae, Ancyromonadida) and amoeboid protists (Filasterea) in pool fingers; flagellates (Ochromonadales, Glissomonadida, Synchromophyceae), fungi-like protists (Peronosporomycetes), and fungi (Ustilaginomycotina) in plankton. The specificity of the communities was supported by LEfSe analysis, which revealed enriched or differentially abundant protist taxa in each type of biotope. The predominance of Choanoflagellatea in the communities of cave mats and pool fingers, as well as the predominance of Synchromophyceae in the cave mats, appears to be a unique feature of Shulgan-Tash Cave. The cold-tolerant yeast Malassezia recorded in other caves was present in both plankton and biofilm communities, suggesting its resilience to low temperatures. However, no potentially harmful fungi were detected, positioning this research as a baseline for future monitoring. Our results emphasize the need for ongoing surveillance and conservation efforts to protect the fragile ecosystems of Shulgan-Tash Cave from human-induced disturbances and microbial invasions.

Marine plankton community and net primary production responding to island-trapped waves in a stratified oligotrophic ecosystem

The oligotrophic Adriatic Sea is characterized during a typical summer by low productivity caused by strong water column stratification, which inhibits vertical mixing and nutrient supply to the euphotic zone. These conditions can be disrupted by transient physical forcing, which enhances nutrient fluxes and creates localized hotspots of relatively high net primary production. In this study, plankton abundance and diversity were investigated in relation to the physical forcing and nutrient concentrations in an area affected by island-trapped waves (ITWs) near Lastovo Island (Adriatic Sea). The episodic ITW events resulted in enhanced uplift and vertical excursion of the thermocline, marked by anomalously higher nutrient concentrations and a corresponding increase in net primary production in the thermocline layer. Physicochemical properties explained 11.7 % (p = 0.002) of the variability in micro- and nanophytoplankton and 88.9 % (p = 0.001) in the picoplankton community. A significant response to the ITW phenomenon in the plankton community composition (p = 0.001) was observed for bacterioplankton. Among the identified amplicon sequence variances, primary producers were scarce and mainly represented cyanobacteria (Synechococcus strain CC9902), stramenopiles (Pelagomonas), and chlorophytes (Ostreococcus). The remaining amplicon sequence variances were assigned to the classes Copepoda, parasitic fungi (Meyerozyma spp.), mixotrophic dinoflagellates (family Peridiniales, mostly the genus Blastodinium), and parasitic Ciliophora (Scuticociliata). Bacterial ecological functions corresponded to chemoheterotrophic, degradation, and fermentation processes, whereas samples collected after the most intense ITW episode also showed abundant bacteria linked to microplastic degradation and parasitosis. These results highlight the ecological role of localized physical phenomena in enhancing nearshore primary productivity and fine shifts in plankton taxa in oligotrophic systems.

High‐Resolution Longitudinal eDNA Metabarcoding and Morphological Tracking of Planktonic Threats to Salmon Aquaculture

ABSTRACTSalmonid aquaculture, a major component of the Northern European, North American, and Chilean coastal economies, is under threat from challenges to gill health, many of which originate from plankton communities. A first step toward mitigating losses is to characterize the biological drivers of poor gill health. Numerous planktonic taxa have been implicated, including toxic and siliceous microalgae, hydrozoans, and scyphozoans; however, rigorous longitudinal surveys of plankton diversity and gill health have been lacking. In the current study, we present and assess an exhaustive identification approach combining both morphological and molecular methods together with robust statistical models to identify the planktonic drivers of proliferative gill disease (PGD) and fish mortality. We undertook longitudinal evaluation at two marine aquaculture facilities on the west coast of Scotland using daily data collected during the 2021 growing season (March–October). Examining these two different sites, one sheltered and one exposed to the open sea, we identified potentially new, important, and unexpected planktonic drivers of PGD and mortality (e.g., doliolids and appendicularians) and confirmed the significance of some established threats (e.g., hydrozoans and diatoms). We also explored delayed or “lagged” effects of plankton abundances on gill health and undertook a comparison of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding and microscopy in their ability to identify and quantify planktonic species. Our data highlight the diversity of planktonic threats to salmonid aquaculture as well as the importance of using both molecular and morphological approaches to detect these. There is now an urgent need to expand systematic longitudinal molecular and morphological approaches across multiple sites and over multiple years. The resultant catalogue of main biological drivers will enable early warning systems, new treatments, and, ultimately, a sustainable platform for future salmonid aquaculture in the marine environment.

Hydro-morphology and water quality jointly shape the structure and network stability of the plankton community in multi-tributary river basins

Revealing the spatial variation in phytoplankton and zooplankton communities, along with their responses to water flow, climate, and water quality from headwaters to downstream, is crucial for grasping their evolutionary dynamics and crafting ecological preservation strategies. Here, the spatial distribution, assembly processes, and stability changes of phytoplankton and zooplankton in the tributaries from headwaters to downstream reaches of the Danjiang River and the upper Hanjiang River (China) were analyzed using environmental DNA (eDNA) technology. Geographic factors accounted for over 60% of the variation in the distribution of phytoplankton and zooplankton, although environmental factors also played a significant role. From upstream to downstream, the proportion of phytoplankton Bacillariophyta decreased from 37.12% to 33.07% in March and from 27.68% to 25.36% in August. Euglenophyta decreased from 1.04% to 0.53% in March and 10.48% to 2.16% in August. The proportion of zooplankton Ciliophora increased from 67.17% to 85.04%, while Amoebozoa decreased by approximately 9.83% in August. Phytoplankton and zooplankton richness initially increased, then declined from upstream to downstream. The assembly of zooplankton and phytoplankton communities was mainly driven by deterministic processes, with values ranging from 0.2 to 0.5. Furthermore, the upstream community showed a stronger dominance of deterministic processes, while the mainstream community exhibited weaker determinism than the tributaries. In both March and August, zooplankton were more influenced by deterministic processes than phytoplankton. From upstream to downstream, the stability and complexity of phytoplankton and zooplankton networks decreased, significantly influenced by river width, flow velocity, agricultural land proportion, and nutrient concentration. Maintaining diverse phytoplankton was crucial for sustaining zooplankton diversity and ensuring network stability. Furthermore, the growth duration of phytoplankton and zooplankton was influenced by the spatial distribution of sampling points in the river, contributing to complex interactions with environmental factors. The complexity of these interactions necessitates careful consideration in future studies on spatial patterns in riverine plankton communities.

Planktonic Microbial Communities of Thermokarst Lakes of Central Yakutia Demonstrate a High Diversity of Uncultivated Prokaryotes with Uncharacterized Functions

Although thermokarst alas lakes of Central Yakutia are of great climatic and economic importance, there is currently virtually no information on microbial communities and microbial processes in these lakes. This paper characterizes the hydrochemical features and presents a primary analysis of the diversity of planktonic microbial communities in three alas lakes of Central Yakutia — Tyungulyu, Taby, and Kharyyalakh. It was shown that in terms of the water physicochemical composition, the studied lakes were quite typical for this region; they had increased alkalinity and trophicity, but differed from each other in microbiological indicators. Chemoheterotrophic prokaryotes predominated in the studied planktonic communities, but a significant proportion of the 16S rRNA gene sequences were most similar to uncultured microorganisms whose functional potential is still unknown.

Planktonic ciliate communities along an environmental gradient in the Nile Delta (Damietta region, Egypt)

The spatial patterns of planktonic ciliate communities were studied from May to June 2019 in the Nile Delta’s Damietta region, southeastern Mediterranean. The ciliate communities were sampled from twenty-five sites of five stressed domains with spatial gradients of environmental status. A total of 32 ciliate taxa with six dominant species were identified, comprising 21 tintinnids and 11 aloricate ciliates. The abundance and richness of each ciliate group varied geographically and were most strongly influenced by salinity variations; tintinnid ciliates attained high abundance and richness at high salinity sites in the harbour and coastal region and decreased within the estuary upstream. Aloricate ciliates were poorly represented at most sites but were a substantial proportion of upstream estuarine sites. Multivariate/univariate analyses demonstrated that spatial patterns of the ciliate communities were significantly correlated with environmental variables, especially salinity, chlorophyll-a, and nutrients, either alone or in combination with one another. These results indicate that the ciliates can be useful bioindicators in stressed environments while also allowing the detection of impacts on short time scales by rapidly responding to environmental variations.

Environmental DNA metabarcoding revealing the distinct responses of phytoplankton and zooplankton to cascade dams along a river-way

Despite providing significant assistance to human society, cascade dams can also have negative impacts on river ecosystems. As the crucial components of river ecosystem, the responses of phytoplankton and zooplankton to cascade dams have rarely been studied simultaneously, and thus, lacking the understanding of the difference in succession between them. Here, we investigated the phytoplankton and zooplankton communities in a river-way with cascade dams using an environmental DNA metabarcoding technology. Along the reservoir areas separated by dams, we found an obvious downward trend in diversity of plankton communities with significant variations in their compositions. The relative abundances of Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta continued to decrease while Intramacronucleata increased along the river-way. Results of association analyses recognized temperature and flow rate as potential factors resiling the impacts of cascade dams. Beta diversity decomposition indicated species replacement as the main mechanism for variations in plankton communities with higher contribution for phytoplankton. Additionally, we detected wider environmental adaptation (broader environmental breadth, phylogenetic single, and niche breadth) and stronger dispersal ability in phytoplankton than in zooplankton. Environmental variables showed a stronger effect for variations in phytoplankton than zooplankton. Furthermore, we observed that community assembly of phytoplankton and zooplankton was, based on the null model, by heterogeneous selection and drift, respectively. These results suggested differences in phytoplankton and zooplankton response to cascade dams and highlighted the stronger environmental filtering in phytoplankton.

Biogeography of Planktonic and Benthic Bacterial Communities of Lake Khubsugul (Mongolia)

The bacterioplankton of Lake Khubsugl (Hövsgöl) has significant differences from that of large ancient and oligotrophic water bodies. The greatest similarity was noted, however, between the microbiomes of Lake Khubsugul and Lake Baikal, the lakes located in the same rift zone and connected by the river system, which emphasizes the similarity of microbiomes at the regional level. In the global aspect, geographical zonation had the greatest reliable significance in the microbial community biogeography, while depth had the lowest. Trophic status of the lakes, as well as their ancient origin, did not affect the clustering of microbiomes, with the seasonal factor playing the major part at the local and regional levels.

Production Potential of the Chernavka Salt River (Elton Region)

Depending on the season, the primary production of planktonic communities determined by radiotracer analysis varied within a broad range, from 6 to 314 µg C/(L h). Primary production in cyanobacterial mats was 4.2‒10.9 × 103 µg C/(dm3 h), and Chl a content varied from 6‒13 to 132‒140 mg Chl a/m2. For the plankton, the highest values were revealed in summer (25‒46 mg Chl a/m3), with the maximum in August (223 mg Chl a/m3. High abundance of bacterioplankton (0.3‒7.4 × 106 cells/mL) and massive growth of diatoms (0.15 × 106 cells/mL) with predominance of the genus Chaetoceros were found. Sulfate reduction rates varied from 0.037 µmol S/(dm3 h) in the upper reach to 61.87 µmol S/(dm3 h) in the river mouth.

Taxonomic and abundance biases affect the record of marine eukaryotic plankton communities in sediment DNA archives.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) preserved in marine sediments is increasingly being used to study past ecosystems. However, little is known about how accurately marine biodiversity is recorded in sediment eDNA archives, especially planktonic taxa. Here, we address this question by comparing eukaryotic diversity in 273 eDNA samples from three water depths and the surface sediments of 24 stations in the Nordic Seas. Analysis of 18S-V9 metabarcoding data reveals distinct eukaryotic assemblages between water and sediment eDNA. Only 40% of Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) detected in water were also found in sediment eDNA. Remarkably, the ASVs shared between water and sediment accounted for 80% of total sequence reads suggesting that a large amount of plankton DNA is transported to the seafloor, predominantly from abundant phytoplankton taxa. However, not all plankton taxa were equally archived on the seafloor. The plankton DNA deposited in the sediments was dominated by diatoms and showed an underrepresentation of certain nano- and picoplankton taxa (Picozoa or Prymnesiophyceae). Our study offers the first insights into the patterns of plankton diversity recorded in sediment in relation to seasonality and spatial variability of environmental conditions in the Nordic Seas. Our results suggest that the genetic composition and structure of the plankton community vary considerably throughout the water column and differ from what accumulates in the sediment. Hence, the interpretation of sedimentary eDNA archives should take into account potential taxonomic and abundance biases when reconstructing past changes in marine biodiversity.

Predictors of long-term variability in NE Atlantic plankton communities

Anthropogenic pressures such as climate change and nutrient pollution are causing rapid changes in the marine environment. The relative influence of drivers of change on the plankton community remains uncertain, and this uncertainty is limiting our understanding of sustainable levels of human pressures. Plankton are the primary energy resource in marine food webs and respond rapidly to environmental changes, representing useful indicators of shifts in ecosystem structure and function. Categorising plankton into broad groups with similar characteristics, known as “lifeforms”, can be useful for understanding ecological patterns related to environmental change and for assessing the state of pelagic habitats in accordance with the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the OSPAR Commission, which mandates protection of the North-East Atlantic. We analysed 29 years of Continuous Plankton Recorder data (1993–2021) from the North-East Atlantic to examine how trends in plankton lifeform abundance changed in relation to one another and across gradients of environmental change associated with human pressures. Random forest models predicted between 57 % and 80 % of the variability in lifeform abundance, based on data not used to train the models. Observed variability was mainly explained by trends in other lifeforms, with mainly positively correlated trends, indicating bottom-up control and/or shared responses to environmental variability were prevalent. Longitude, bathymetry, mixed layer depth, the nitrogen-to‑phosphorus ratio, and temperature were also significant predictors. However, contrasting influences of environmental drivers were detected. For example, small copepod abundance increased in warmer conditions whereas meroplankton, large copepods and fish larvae either decreased or were unchanged. Our findings highlight recent changes in stratification, reflected by variation in mixed layer depth, and imbalanced nutrient ratios are affecting multiple lifeforms, impacting the North-East Atlantic plankton community. To achieve environmental improvements in North-East Atlantic pelagic habitats, it is crucial that we continue to address climate change and reduce nutrient pollution.

Spatial and environmental drivers of temperate estuarine archaeal communities

Archaea play a crucial role in the global biogeochemical cycling of elements and nutrients, helping to maintain the functional stability of estuarine systems. This study characterised the abundance and diversity of archaeal communities and identified the environmental conditions shaping these microbial communities within six temperate estuaries along approximately 500 km of the New South Wales coastline, Australia. Estuarine sediments were found to exhibit significantly higher species richness than planktonic communities, with representative sequences from the Crenarchaeota phylum characterising each environment. Ordinate analyses revealed catchment characteristics as the strongest drivers of community variability. Our results also provide evidence supporting distance-decay patterns of archaeal biogeography across intermediate scales within and between temperate estuaries, contributing to a growing body of evidence revealing the extent spatial scales play in shaping microbial communities. This study expands our understanding of microbial diversity in temperate estuaries, with a specific focus on archaeal community structure and their role in maintaining ecosystem stability.